1776 Summary

The year 1776 was one of the most life changing years in American history. The colonists were separated into three types of people, the loyalists who remained faithful to the king, the moderates who could have swayed in either direction, and the radicals who wanted to take immediate measures to declare independence from England. A man from Virginia named George Washington was named general of the continental army by the Second Continental Congress. Having prior military experience in the French and Indian war he was the prime candidate. He had to train all the men in the army and the people who held higher ranking positions because many had no military training at all. There was a major difference between the American military and the British

There were many battles fought in the duration of the year 1776. In the book “1776” by D. McCullough there were three major battles and the events leading up to them, these include: The Battle of Dorchester Heights, The Battle of Long Island, and The Battle of Trenton.
Both armies have the same idea that Dorchester Heights was necessary for security, and was a major part in the war, but neither side has tried to take control of it The British are heavily supplied with artillery, but they have done nothing to secure its position. George Washington had wanted to take Boston back from the British for a long time, and to take his plan into action he sends Colonel Henry Knox all the way to Fort Ticonderoga to set his plan in motion. There was stored many canons and other artillery from when the Americans won the fort from the French. Colonel Knox makes his expedition back in the

He knew that the harbor would provide a good base for the British Navy and he didn’t want to give them that power. So Washington made defenses and waited for the British to attack. In July, General Howe and his army landed a few miles across from the harbor on Staten Island. In the duration of the next month and a half they slowly reinforced by ships in the Lower New York Bay. With the British controlling the entrance to the harbor, Washington knew that Manhattan would be the first target. Then on August 22nd the British landed on Gravesend Bay across from the narrows from Staten Island. After five days of waiting the British finally attacked the American defenses. It started at nine pm when the British troops moved out. To start Clinton led a crack brigade of light infantry with fixed bayonets in front, followed by Cornwallis who had eight battalions and 14 artillery pieces. Cornwallis was followed by Howe and Hugh Percy with six battalions, more artillery, and baggage weapons. The army was led by Captains W. G. Evelyn and O. DeLancey Jr. and three loyalist farmers who knew the area. When they came up upon the Jamaica Pass and after about ten minutes of riding the pass the captains met five American’s on patrol, they were captured without a shot. By nine am the next morning they had fired two